San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-04-20

reah my lellcf. Dlu nc Slhak OF having
received one from me, gIUndmammar
"No"-calmly-I do not think he did.
But certainly understood that he had
been made aware Of what you considered
the obstacles between you"
Then this is what l will do Give me
time to write TO him again. IL send my
letter 10 the Castle, shall know that he
has received it; and then" She
paused, the blood slowly ebbing out Of her
face.
"well-what thenT
"If he still persists-and as il is for aunt
Anna"
"You will consentT- The Countess
paused for few moments in her work.
and looked at the girl"
sibyl nodded, and turned away abrupt
ly.
Forgive me, forgive met" she whis-
pered to her sweetheart's picture when
she got back to her own room. ut is the
only thing that / can 10 to escape this
persecution. And / know Mark He
will be the first to tell me he will not mar
ry me. He will forgive Clement for my
sake. My own Percival, they shall not
take me from you"
The letter was written-it was almost a
reproduction Of the one burnt by the
Countess-and posted. And then Sibyl
would have went back 20 her aunts bed
side; but to her Indignation and dismay,
she found that Lady Annals mother had
assumed control Of the entire household,
and was already installed in the sick
| room.
She sent word to the girl by her maid
that the doctor had forbidden any excit-
| ing influences about his patient, and that
| Mrs. Carruthers would shortly be down
to stay with her mother, who needed those
about her at such crisis who had her in
terests really at heart.
| 1t seemed that the head of the house
was resolved to let Sibyl know that she
was not out of disgrace. That would
end, she appeared to imply, only on the
day when Mark Bretton's lips were duly
silenced.
The poor child found herself shut out
the dim old corridor, where she burst
into flood of terrified tears on old Dix
on's faithful shoulder OF what use was
it to appeal against the Countess's edicts 7
There was no one TO appeal to except I'M
Gle Lansing; and the Rector would have
run five miles at any time rather than face
| his illustrious mother in-law.
There was nothing to do but to sit
| down and wait for Marks answer to her
| letter.
This state of things lasted for a couple
of days, during which Sibyl was not al
| lowed even TO see Lady Anna.
| doesn't she ask for met Doesn't she
miss mef' the girl would ask piteOusly of
Dixon or the Countess. She was perpetu
ally lowering about the door Of the sick
room and snatching word from those
who passed in and out.
The kind old doctor patted her on the
head and told her to keep up her courage;
but, when Sibyl, whispering, tried to coax
him into admitting her, he made some lit
tie excuse or other, and fastened away.
| He too, was under the Countess's iron
rule, which he dared not disobey.
On the third day Mrs. Carruthers arriv-
ed, and then Sibyl was sent for.
She had been sitting in her freless room
and wiling her Indian letter as well as
| her little red hands would let her Per-
| civars portrait was on the table before
her.
AS the door closed behind Dixon again,
the girl rose and fell suddenly upon her
knees by the bedside. She did not pray;
she did not form any words in her mind;
she only buried her face in her hands,
and knelt there for some minutes,
voiceless as they were it seemed to her
that she had laid her burden at the feet
Of the DivineCompassion, so that she rose
with calmer pulses and a serener face.
On her way down stairs she paused to
listen at Lady Annals door. All was quiet.
Through the landing window close by she
| could see the mists of the November twi-
light gathering over the brown and mel
ancholy garden. The naked trees were
dripping with rain. 1t was a dreary
world, the poor girl thought, without and
within. A vague wonder crossed her
mind that people should make so much
ado about it, and about their pains and
pleasures which so soon pass away.
at is easier TO give up than to struggle
| and resist" she said to herself. "What is
| it all WORTH The kind woman who lay
| sleeping close at hand-watched over by
a servant-had once been a girl, young,
and in love, and looking forward to a hap
| by future; and now the man to whom she
| had given her life hardly comprehended
her, and, of all the children she had borne
him, not one was with her in the hour Of
humiliation and of suffering"
Sibyl turned from the window with
long sobbing breath and went down stairs
to the parlor.
Both the Countess and Amaranth Car
ruthers were there. Amaranth immedi-
ately gave her cousin letter.
"Mr. Breton asked me to bring it," she
said in her well modulated voice. ale
will come himself as soon as you give him
leave TO do So"
Sibyl tore the letter open, and read the
few lines it contained. Her eyes were di-
lated, her lips parted.
DEAR SIBYL.-Forgive me il am selfish in
pleading my ,ause; lly be my wife. and | WILL
| trust to my great love to win you la time, and
to give me some return for it.
always your devoted
m. d"
s<kDlcEns